A Fear of Falling
by Jenivi7
Summary: Now a series of polarshipping, JounouchixMai, oneshots.
1. A Fear of Falling

A/N: Sorry to those of you who are waiting for the next chapter of Phoenix, I was working on it! really! well, wrestling it and trying to beat it into submission is a more accurate description, but sometime around four in the morning, this just happened (sweatdrop.) It was in my head and just kinda came spilling out. Just a cute little ficlet and some musings on Joey. I always liked Mai and thought it was such a shame that she left for the final time without even giving him her number :p Anyways . . . Enjoy XD

* * *

She drove. 

Like she always did when something bothered her.

It cleared her head, helped her think.

Why was she driving anyways?

For some reason, this time, it felt like she was running from something.

Maybe she was just being stupid.

It certainly wouldn't be the first time.

What did she possibly have to be afraid of?

She knew nothing was chasing her, out to get her.

So why did she keep running? Why didn't she just stop . . .

She rolled down the window, the car suddenly seemed stuffy, but rolled it back up again just as quick when her blond hair began to flutter into her face.

Pretty blond hair, the same color as his, only his was an unruly mop that he was continuously pushing back from hazel eyes.

They were warm eyes . . . like his smile . . .

Damn it. She turned up the radio to drown out her own thoughts.

I didn't help.

The song wasn't even related to anything but it still reminded her of him.

Something about the singer's voice . . . and the passion he poured into the song . . .

She finally gave in and let herself muse on the forbidden subject.

Something about the song was just so Joey.

He was so different.

He had cared about her,

Really cared.

No one had ever shown so much concern, so much interest,

In her.

And he adored her.

Adoration, at least, wasn't so foreign a concept.

Others had adored her.

And she had let them, always using it to her advantage.

She didn't mind being alone but sometimes company for brief periods was nice.

They had never lasted though and she had never wanted them to.

Shit, but even the way he adored her was different.

Maybe that's why she was so scared.

Why she kept moving.

She was scared that if she stopped it would be for good.

That she would fall and never recover.

But would that really be so bad?

She blinked, taken by surprise at the warmth of the thought.

Or maybe that was it,

Maybe it was too late,

Perhaps she had fallen already

. . . and was just afraid to admit it.


	2. Italy

A/N: Whoo! The oneshot to follow the oneshot and eventually I'll have enough oneshots to string together to make an entire story XD The idea is an old one, dug up for a brief mention in Ryou and the Thief and finally fully fleshed out thanks to an absolutely wonderful conversation on the Play the Damn Card community on LiveJournal!

* * *

She never did find a reason to go back, but there always seemed to be plenty to keep traveling forward. In the end, she didn't have to. 

A knock at her apartment door in the dead hours of the morning surprised her. It was a small, cramped space in Italy that she only intended to rent for a month while she toured the place. Cause there was supposedly so much to do in Italy. For some reason, she hadn't done any of it yet. But she would. Sometime.

She opened the door and there he was, heedless of the hour and leaning casually against the frame as though he belonged there.

She gaped at him and he grinned back.

"What are you doing here?"

He shrugged and examined his nails. "Felt like touring Italy, heard you were here and thought I'd look you up."

She realized her mouth was still open and closed it. "What?"

"That's what friends do, don't they? Visit each other?"

"But . . ." He had no interest in Italy. They both knew it. He must have tracked her all the way down from Domino. "Idiot." She accused.

He just nodded wisely. "Probably."

She stared at him some more but he just continued to wear that goofy grin of his.

"Ain't ya gonna invite a guy in? It's cold out here." He finally said, breaking the casual stance to rub his arms. It was winter.

She snorted. "Only if you promise to behave and keep your hands to yourself!"

"Perfect gentleman, I swear." He held up his hands in submission and she stepped aside to let him in.

"It's good to see you again." She admitted quietly as he walked past her.

His grin softened to an affectionate smile. "You too. I missed ya."

She looked away, determined not to blush like a schoolgirl. "Yeah. Likewise. Now get your ass in here so I can shut the door."

They talked late into the night and he did keep his hands to himself. She never said anything about his lips, however, and, while he leaned against the kitchen counter, when she reached past him to grab something from the cabinet, he kissed her like he'd always wanted to. She froze a moment in surprise, then found herself returning the affection eagerly.

It ended up that there was a lot to do in Italy after all. And they did it all together.


	3. Salt and Vinegar

A/N: Also from that same wonderful, LiveJournal conversation. Includes a bit of Peachshipping this time as well which jerks it out of continuity with everything else, but it amuses me horribly so it shall be included here. XD

* * *

Ring. Click. Grunt. 

"Yug! Yug, man, ya gotta help me!" Jou shouted into one ear.

Anzu jerked up, instantly awake and began asking in his other ear, "Jou? Is that Jou? Is Mai ok?"

Instead of trying to decipher both conversations and formulate a response through his sleep fogged brain, Yugi handed Anzu the phone and rolled over, pulling the blankets back over his head. The small child between them who had been disturbed by the initial movement re-burrowed into his side.

"Is Mai . . ."

"No, no, _she's_ fine, _I'm_ not. She wants salt and vinegar potatoes chips and has threatened my manhood if she doesn't get them now! Where the hell do I even get something like that? The convenience store doesn't have them and the grocery store is already closed!"

Anzu clasped a hand over her mouth in an attempt to hold back laughter. "How far are you from the shop?"

"Just a few minutes, why?"

"I'm sure I have a bag in the cupboard still from my last pregnancy."

There was a short pause on the other end then "Anzu, you are a lifesaver. My manhood thanks you."

This time Anzu did laugh. "Just get your a-" she remembered the small child in the room, "just get over here."

"Right! Five minutes!"

Click.


	4. Cooking Attempts

Inspired by a very amusing conversation with failingwithstyle XD Didn't think I'd have anything to put here for a while but I'm glad I do!

* * *

He was doing good for once.

Really, really good.

The sauce was bubbling, the chicken was frying, he hadn't overdone the noodles and they were cooling on the counter . . .

And then Mai arrived home.

And not just arrived home, walked in the front door, kicked off her shoes and headed STRAIGHT for the kitchen where he was.

Normally not such a big deal, normally he would have been thankful for the distraction because he would have already burned something and probably overcooked something else. But tonight he was doing REALLY good and after she kissed him and said hello, the chicken popped loudly and he cursed to realize he had still been watching her as she walked away to grab a magazine and sit at the table, talking about her day and randomly commenting on the articles inside.

"Right cooking, cooking," he muttered to himself and frantically turned the chicken over to keep it from burning.

"Did you say something?" she asked without looking up as a light shade of blue nail polish caught her eye.

"No, nothing!" he said quickly and she asked what he thought about the color. His eyes drifted over to where she sat again, taking in the blue (not that he could tell the difference between that and the other three blue nail polishes she owned) then her hair, then her pouty lips and she shape of her face as she leaned it on a lazy, graceful hand, then the exact shape of her top which showed off a very lovely amount of cleavage. Maybe if he showed his appreciation for how well it fit she'd buy more like it . . .

A large blob of sauce hit the stove and he turned back, giving it a panicked stir and praying that it hadn't blackened on the bottom and started sticking to the pan. Mai raised an eyebrow and looked over at him, grinning before starting up her steady dialogue again and finally, he did manage to make it through the rest of the cooking process without anymore mishaps.

"Jou! It looks wonderful!" She leaned over his shoulder as he turned off burners and pulled out plates.

"No thanks to you!" he said, scolding her with a wooden spoon.

She laughed and told him how ridiculously cute he was when he said things that made no sense and then he turned around to kiss her and they nearly forgot about dinner.


	5. Let Them

A/N: Realized that the song Laid is SUCH a Jou/Mai song and when I did, it made me scramble for a notebook. Drabblish but I like it XD  


* * *

"The neighbors have been complaining again."

Breathless longing and passion.

"To you?"

Moans and soft touches, scorching kisses.

"Of course not, to the landlord."

No signs of stopping or even hesitation as clothing litters the floor.

"Let them."

Bodies fall onto the bed, barely making it there and tumbling until she takes top and that's perfectly fine with him.


End file.
